New Delhi – The entire country is celebrating the successful return of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who has safely concluded an 18-day space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Shukla was a part of the Axiom-4 spaceflight, which landed safely back on Earth along with his fellow crewmembers on Tuesday. The crew travelled aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Grace, which re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and completed its mission with a splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California.
The return journey from the ISS lasted approximately 22.5 hours, following undocking at 4:45 PM IST on Monday. The Axiom-4 crew included Mission Commander Peggy Whitson from the United States, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, Tibor Kapu from Hungary, and Shubhanshu Shukla representing India.
SpaceX confirmed the crew’s safe return in a post on social media platform X. The post read:
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed — welcome back to Earth, @AstroPeggy, Shux, @astro_slawosz, and Tibi.”
Moments after the capsule splashed down, SpaceX recovery teams quickly approached the spacecraft, which was floating on the water. The capsule was then safely transferred to the recovery ship Shannon, where the astronauts were assisted out of the spacecraft.
Following their retrieval, the crew is expected to undergo routine medical examinations to assess their health after the mission. Post-evaluation, they will likely travel by helicopter for further formalities.
The astronauts will now begin a seven-day rehabilitation program to help their bodies readjust to Earth’s gravity. This process is crucial after spending more than two weeks in microgravity conditions aboard the ISS.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s achievement marks a significant moment for India’s presence in global space missions and continues to inspire a new generation of aspiring astronauts and scientists.
